Think of who he took over from. An depressing and equally hilarious realisation.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 48
- Goals
- 15
- Assists
- 13
- Yellow cards
- 12
- Status
It’ll be a Statman David post in 2 weeks time about how he’s just behind Maddison for most chances created.
Maguire lacked the ability and the role was too big for him, sure, but he at least had the demeanour of a man in control of his emotions. Fernandes is a petulant manchild.
He’s not a right winger, no idea why ETH keeps playing him there so infuriating
When Bruno joined we channeled everything through him & he provided historic numbers. Yes he had his flaws but the output compensated somewhat with the fact he was worth a goal or assist a game. Changing him wasn’t the answer.
What we have had since EtH took over is a Bruno with all the flaws but none of the positive. I find it difficult to blame Bruno solely when we all knew prior to last year the type of 10 he is so EtH fecking around with his position & role is counterproductive. If the team were playing well then fine but it isn’t/hasn’t.
You see him play for Portugal & even the Bernardo Silva’s take second fiddle. Play your best players in their best roles & go from there.
What we have had since EtH took over is a Bruno with all the flaws but none of the positive. I find it difficult to blame Bruno solely when we all knew prior to last year the type of 10 he is so EtH fecking around with his position & role is counterproductive. If the team were playing well then fine but it isn’t/hasn’t.
You see him play for Portugal & even the Bernardo Silva’s take second fiddle. Play your best players in their best roles & go from there.
Of course I would. Do you think, none of the players know that the matches get on television?! Mate, seriously. Just look at Jordan Fecking Henderson. He made it an art from to say exactly the stuff he knew the scouse fans would love him for. And coincidentally that got him, a rather mediocre player, a great spot in their team. So be sure that those players have an idea what the fans like and what not. And I didn't say hes only doing it as fan service. But again - it is nothing than unproductive effects as long as nothing comes off from it. Which it rarely does. And I am pretty sure he knows that himself, no team will have issues with a one man press. Yet he still does it since...?
For sure. Not like I don't want to say that he is lazy or anything. I am just stating that for all the busy-ness there isn't really much to really take away from.
I don't draw anything. And even if - a correlation is there. He got named in July 2023. So after last season, this season is worse than last one. Acting as if one thing is the reason for the other would be daft, but there might be a connection. And I know that the captaincy isn't one of the top20 of our teams issues, my point was "is the the captaincy maybe one of the top 10 reasons for Bruno being so weak this season".
Again the question - do you think, he is playing the same stuff that he played beginning of last season? Or middle of? Or do you think, something happened? What is it in your eyes?
Three things I’d like to see with Bruno.
1) A minimum of 3 games on the bench to demonstrate that performances this season haven’t been good enough to sustain automatic selection.
2) Play him centrally as an attacking midfielder only. None of this right wing nonsense. Square peg round holes etc. If he picks up the ball at left back, he gets berated for even being there.
3) Remove the captaincy. Never been captain material nor a natural leader. He needs to go back to being the free flowing creative play maker we saw in his 1st season.
1) A minimum of 3 games on the bench to demonstrate that performances this season haven’t been good enough to sustain automatic selection.
2) Play him centrally as an attacking midfielder only. None of this right wing nonsense. Square peg round holes etc. If he picks up the ball at left back, he gets berated for even being there.
3) Remove the captaincy. Never been captain material nor a natural leader. He needs to go back to being the free flowing creative play maker we saw in his 1st season.
His best position might not exist anymore in the most recent systems and game plans. A 10 who can't dribble, has a subpar touch and is therefor restricted to passes in behind which more often then not are longer passes. It is a bit rare these days. Especially if you consider that he is a bit too reckless with the ball to really work as a CM.
Bruno might be a great Number 10 but to compensate this we have to find a formula that the whole team brings balance. And we are quite far away from that.
His best position doesn’t exist in this team because EtH has chosen the wrong system imo.
Of all the issues, which there were plenty, Bruno as a 10 was a pretty good bet of getting you key goals/assists so for some reason EtH decided to tackle that non-issue instead of improving on the McFred base that Bruno thrived with.
I can understand eventually wanting to move away from a Bruno reliant attack but there were so many other issues to tackle first. It’s not simply a case of Bruno playing badly & the team functioning, Bruno looks shot & the team performances are in the basement.
And FIY, for all this "he should never be played on RW" please have a look at todays heat map. Just because Antony doesn't start and Bruno does, doesn't mean they have the exact same roles.
The second half of his first full season he scored 2 non penalty goals and had 4 assists. He then had an absolute shocker of a season that was supposedly Ronaldo’s fault. Then last year he was again consistently poor and has started this season being shite…Is all that ETH fault? Or is it just not Bruno’s fault because 6 months.
No I don't think so. Who are those Nr. 10 players in other teams who are more or less 2nd strikers AND are unable to really dribble and keep the ball in tight spaces?
This isn't just an ETH issue. When Bruno played on his best position, we were more often than not flooded in the midfield because he just isn't a midfielder. He didn't "thrive" with McFred - have you forgotten all those games? He thrived during the time when teams had a go at us and tried to push up giving us space in behind. Him thriving had nothing to do with McFred. And also we were not really successful nor playing well so I am not sure, why we would try to take that as a template to use him again now.
I for one wouldn't want him gone completely. He needs benching to make sure he doesn't think he is undroppable. And from then on, why not use him starting from the right. He can spam his passes from anywhere. He is busy so will help his Fullback and can tuck in when oppositions blocks the wide areas. In games where nothing works, bring in Antony instead. Not like he offers so much of what we'd miss anyway. This way, we can try to set up a working midfield in the center on the pitch while keeping Brunos goalthreat
Thank God your not the manager
I'm pretty sure he always flops in any big game. I legit don't remember the last time he influenced a big game for us, or if it ever happened.
Flat track bully.
Flat track bully.
I mean Silva is twice the footballer Bruno is though, he "takes second fiddle" because he actually can. If Bruno isn't given free reign to do his gunslinger act he's useless on the pitch.
That's the entire issue with building a team around him and it's always been the issue, because even at his brilliant best he's going to cap the ceiling of a team with him in it as there are core deficiencies in his skill set that aren't able to be covered over at the highest level. You can't afford to play a 10 that lacks the ability to dribble and navigate tight spaces.
Can’t be arsed with him.
If we were playing good, he’d look good and get great numbers. But he’s not able to drag us and win games for us.
If we were playing good, he’d look good and get great numbers. But he’s not able to drag us and win games for us.
My worrying reservations about him becoming a captain is unfortunately bearing fruit. He's been utterly gash outside of 1 game against Forest since he got the armband.
You are assuming if he bullys any flat track. Guy just pops here and there agaisnt minnows but has never dominated any game
I remember when lunatics on this forum were comparing him to Cantona 
fecking hell
fecking hellThink it was the statistical impact on wins post the January arrival in the same season, like Cantona. And it was only limited to that season.I remember when lunatics on this forum were comparing him to Cantona
Not as players, but impact on win %. Which was actually uncanny to be fair.
The most annoying thing is he has that Herrera trait in him where he knows what the fans and managers want to hear so he puts on performative acts to get himself some credit. I see right through his bs as I did with Herrera. Does it on social media too, can’t forget his legendary “dreams can’t be buy” quote.
When Maguire was the captain and getting pelters he put on a good act of a captain but there were games like the 7-0 against Liverpool where his true colours showed.
Now that he’s the actual captain he has nowhere to hide. How Ten Hag thought he had the right mentality to lead this team is beyond me, then again Ten Hag has shown that awful judgement is a trademark of his at this point.
When Maguire was the captain and getting pelters he put on a good act of a captain but there were games like the 7-0 against Liverpool where his true colours showed.
Now that he’s the actual captain he has nowhere to hide. How Ten Hag thought he had the right mentality to lead this team is beyond me, then again Ten Hag has shown that awful judgement is a trademark of his at this point.
Is the ceiling of a team built around Bruno higher than whatever we are seeing from this current team? Yes. So if you actually read what I’ve posted you’d see I said in the immediacy Bruno wasn’t the issue to tackle but something he would eventually need to change.
Right now we have an inefficient Bruno & a disjointed team.
We are nowhere near operating at the highest level, we’re struggling to even compete at being competent. Should we improve on Bruno eventually? See previous posts.
What did he do in the first half of that season & the months after he signed?
I’ve already conceded we eventually need to move on from Bruno but honestly. . .
As my initial post stated, Bruno in the 10 comes with its issues. I just don’t think it was the issue that needed addressing before others.
As you say to be useful Bruno needs to be a goal threat so either we utilise a tactic that makes him one or making him captain/near undroppable isn’t a good look for EtH either.
For a period he thrived in front of McFred but the tactic of sit back & counter was undone, the point wasn’t about McFred in particular though more so Bruno as a 10 Having shown what he is capable of.
I haven't got the stats to hand but wasn't Bruno the captain for the majority of our games last season? Most of Maguire's appearances were either vs the lesser teams or coming off the bench to sure things up. Stripping Maguire of the captaincy and announcing Bruno as our official club captain in July 2023 felt like a formality by that point. And I struggle to see how that moment in July would be of any significance in terms of negatively impacting Bruno's performance levels.
A lot of players go through bad patches of form. It's not that deep. When Rooney started the 2010-11 season very poorly (after a terrible World Cup), I remember speaking to a fan at the time who reckoned he had lost his sharpness and this was the beginning of the end for him at United. The following season, Rooney had his second best goalscoring season for us. At top clubs, when a players' form dips, other players pick up the slack. We don't have that currently. And that's excaberated by long-term injuries to a couple of key players.
I remember when lunatics on this forum were comparing him to Cantona
And KdB
I'm sick at the sight of him whinging and whining.
Let’s play him as left back and blame him for not playing well
EtH could just drop him to the bench and see how we get on. Don't have to strip him of the club captaincy officially if he's not playing, and would be interesting to see us try a change of shape with a genuine midfield trio and not the ugly mess we currently have to watch.
He went on to add brilliant player but not captain material. I agree. He is one of our better players yes but doesn’t add anything to the team by being a captain. A captain needs to elevate and lead you, not just complain at every opportunity. Who should be the captain though? No one stands out. Maybe Evans
How Anyone can genuinely think Fernandes is brilliant player is beyond me .
All 3 are mediocre at their best. Objectively speaking bottom half is more their level and Mainoo is probably a championship level
To truly progress as a club, we need to begin viewing players from a different perspective. To be viewed as a great player here, all you need to do is show passion and statpad. Little to no emphasis on general play.
Once we start viewing players from a better overall perspective, which means accepting that the likes of Bruno are not good enough because his general play is, and always has been, atrocious, then we can dream of getting back to the top.
Bruno will probably always be a popular player with the fans regardless, but the club itself needs to wake up. You can't have someone as poor as he is in general be your poster boy.
Thats where I am at , United need to have technically proficient players all over the pitch having decent base level in General play that should be the bare minimum before any thing else even comes into consideration .
He forces anyone to be second fiddle to himself, unless it's a goal scorer. He sucks up everything to live and die by his feet. Because building up attacks could allow others to create something from openings, he negates that by not allowing that to happen as he's the one who selfish enough to play hollywood passes as often as he does.
Because Bruno is undroppable especially now for ETH, and our right wing currently doesn't have anyone truly stake the claim. He is not no8, or no6. He's not a CF. Rashford preferred left wing as there is better player on the left than Bruno if Rashford moved around. Last time Bruno played on the left it was a disaster (0-7 at Anfield).
It all seems so obvious. Get players who are good at football, physical and have the intagibles. Our team is full of dumb, hero ball, cowardly, physically suspect players and the captain is one of them.
Our midfield was crying out for cover for Casemiro and Eriksen who lifted our midfield play by levels last year. So we end up buying Mount which still doesn't make sense to me.
I just hope if we get a new manager soon he doesn't build the team around this guy. One of the great footballing frauds of his generation.
I am genuinely hoping that Ten Hag shows some courage and drops Bruno and rest of underperformers and integrates some of the youngsters in before he gets the Boot , So that the next manager would have the better idea about the level of youngsters we have and also Dropping Likes of Bruno doesn't become issue for the next manager .
PS Fernandes should be sold Come next Summer along with some other big names whose days should be numbered .
but he wasn’t playing as a midfielder yesterday.
Worst United captain I have ever seen(after Maguire ) He makes me hate football, can't wait for him to go
) He makes me hate football, can't wait for him to goBruno doesn't even statpad anymore. He has essentially become useless
Honestly we have been stuck with Bruno as he just renewed contract last year and been named the captaincy of the club. He has been placed too big the stake. It liberally would take a manager sacrificing his job to force Bruno out , and by then we could see some light in the tunnel.
Just think about what would happen if ETH started to bench him tomorrow: ETH would suffer huge pressure and questioning from day 1. Every game that is not a win will be scrutinized and challenged the question why Bruno was not started. Also the dressing room would split into pro-Bruno and con-Bruno parties, and you would hardly see good teamwork from this splitting. Even Bruno could stay professional and not bad mouthing, it would be hard for ETH to win games, simply because we have been building around Bruno's strength and weakness for so long and it is hard to adapt to something new in one day.
I just feel very hopeless that this mistake would take another 3-5 years to correct, and as a fan, I need to bear this process all along.
Just think about what would happen if ETH started to bench him tomorrow: ETH would suffer huge pressure and questioning from day 1. Every game that is not a win will be scrutinized and challenged the question why Bruno was not started. Also the dressing room would split into pro-Bruno and con-Bruno parties, and you would hardly see good teamwork from this splitting. Even Bruno could stay professional and not bad mouthing, it would be hard for ETH to win games, simply because we have been building around Bruno's strength and weakness for so long and it is hard to adapt to something new in one day.
I just feel very hopeless that this mistake would take another 3-5 years to correct, and as a fan, I need to bear this process all along.
Thats the thing. When he was racking up assists and goals I could live with his overall play being erratic and poor, but he isnt even doing that anymore.
I honestly believe he is a detriment to our team.
Look at yesterday.
1) He never spots Højlunds runs. Its like he refuses to pass to him.
2) We are down one nil, he has the ball just on the edge of their box. He then chooses to do a blind backpass despite having several good passing options. Straight to a city player.
3 The goal to 2-0 that killed us came after he needlesly gave the ball away with a shite pass to Dalot. And this happens constantly. He whacks the ball and we loose it and get caught out of position. We wouldnt have to run half as much as a team if he didnt lose the ball constantly.
The point being that taking a 9 month outlier as the norm and blaming ETH for a decline in output that started two years before he arrived is disingenuous.
What was this period where he thrived in front of McFred?
- Status